"This is amazing! I chose the right merchant for this. I'm going to be rich—so rich!"
The Golden Queen practically danced as she watched Gary and the worker ants haul heavy sacks of coins toward the golden safe. Her glee filled the whole chamber, her wings shimmering like molten sunlight.
Rin, Akari, and Rei stood nearby, handing over the day's earnings.
"I still don't understand how you two convinced me to work with ants," Rei muttered under her breath, arms crossed. "They literally kidnap and eat people."
Akari sighed and nudged her. "I promised you a date tomorrow, remember? So don't do anything stupid, Rei. Cousin Rin said the Queen's changed, so let's believe it—for once."
Rei grumbled but said nothing more. Her crimson eyes wandered around the hall, taking in the sight. What used to be a nightmare hive now gleamed like a palace of amber and gold. The ants worked diligently, filling jars with honeydew, sealing and labeling them under Ice's supervision. He had even made an ice slide so the jars could glide smoothly to the workers.
Rei blinked. "Okay… I'll admit, that's actually kind of cool."
"Stop talking. The Queen's coming," Rin whispered.
The Golden Queen approached, her golden antennae twitching slightly as she regarded them. "So, another batch tomorrow?"
"Umm… well…" Rin began, looking desperately between Akari and Rei for help. Neither met her gaze—they both turned away, pretending to examine the walls.
Rin sighed in defeat, since she was the only one who could understand the ants anyway. "Actually, we have… things to do tomorrow."
The Queen's head tilted. "Things?"
"Yes. Cousin Akari and Rei are going on a date tomorrow," Rin said, pointing at them accusingly. "And I need to plan a date with Selene for the next day." Her tone softened slightly when she said Selene's name.
"Oh, how wonderful!" the Queen said, clasping her hands together. "You're all free then. That's good! Life's too precious to waste, you know. Not every day has to be a workday. Even my workers have shifts so they can do other things—rest, play, dance!"
"She says yes!" Rin said as the three girls exchanged surprised smiles.
"Now you see?" Akari whispered to Rei, elbowing her. "Does she look like the terror ant who devours mortals?"
Before Rei could answer, the Queen clapped her hands. "Ah, that reminds me! Ice here taught Gary how to make soba noodles. Why don't we all eat together?"
Rin froze. "Wait—Ice taught someone else to cook soba?" She looked at him in shock. "Wasn't that something he only ever did for Selene?"
Ice, who had been casually dusting frost off his hands, froze too. His expression faltered for a second—just a tiny, guilty twitch. Then, as Rin's gaze lingered on him, his face practically melted in embarrassment.
The Queen beamed and gestured toward the dining area. "Come, come! It's best eaten while it's cold!"
Rin crossed her arms, still staring at Ice as she followed behind. "I swear, Ice, if Selene finds out you're teaching other people how to cook…"
Ice turned away, pretending he hadn't heard her, but the tips of his ears were already red.
---
Everyone—including the worker ants—gathered around the long table. Steam rose from bowls of soba, and the sound of quiet slurping filled the air. It was one of those rare peaceful moments, and Rin decided it was the perfect time to ask what had been eating at her for days.
Ice couldn't answer because, well, he didn't talk. Shion had refused to explain anything, so maybe—just maybe—someone here could.
Rin cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention.
"Sooo…" she began, twirling her chopsticks nervously. "Does anyone here know anything about the Dark Moon Stone?"
The effect was immediate.
Every single ant froze mid-bite. Even the Queen's golden wings went still.
Everyone turned to stare at Rin as if she had just confessed to stealing the royal treasury.
Rin blinked. "…Okay, wow. So everyone knows about it."
She forced a nervous laugh, glancing around the table. "Great. Guess I'm the only one who doesn't."
In her defense, the author had never focused on stuff like power sources or mysterious stones. The story she remembered was supposed to be a tragic romance between Rei and Akari, not whatever magical drama this was turning into. But now that she was here, things were clearly deeper. And if finding that stone could help Selene stop stressing and finally relax—maybe even have time to annoy Rin again—then Rin needed to know more.
"So," she said, resting her chin on her palm. "Which one of you is going to spill it out?"
Rei was the first to speak, chewing slowly before answering. "There are a lot of stories about that stone. Nobody knows which one's real. But I was told it's like… darkness's weakness. When it's around, it stops them from eating souls."
Akari nodded thoughtfully. "I heard something else. They say it controls people, makes them do things against their will."
The Golden Queen set down her chopsticks delicately. "Myths," she said, her voice smooth and commanding. "Those are all lies meant to hide the truth. The real story is this." She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "The Dark Moon Stone is a prison. It was created to contain the most dangerous immortal ever to exist—Darkness itself."
Rin blinked. "Wait, what? Seriously?"
Her gaze darted between the three of them. "Okay, so… which one am I supposed to believe?"
"What did the ant say?" Rei asked flatly.
"She said your stories are myths," Rin replied.
Rei scoffed. "Then hers is the myth. Darkness was killed a long time ago."
The Golden Queen laughed softly, almost pityingly. "Killed? Oh, little Akarawa, that's simply what your clan chooses to believe. I've lived long enough to know better. The Darkness wasn't destroyed—it was sealed. And that seal is the Dark Moon Stone."
Rin's curiosity spiked. "Wait—you've been around that long? Like… how old are you?"
The Queen smiled, flicking a bit of honey from her fingertip. "Hmm, maybe five hundred years."
Rin's jaw dropped. "Five… hundred?! That's—wow, that's ancient!"
She bit her lip, trying—and failing—not to laugh. "You're really old!"
Rei tilted her head. "What's funny?"
"She said she's five hundred years old!" Rin giggled uncontrollably. "That's like five centuries! Wow, haha!"
"Hahaha—well," Rei said between laughs, "if you're amused by that, I wonder how you'll react when you learn about your fiancee's age."
Rin froze mid-laugh. "Wait. What?"
Akari grinned. "You really don't know, do you?"
The Queen smirked. "Oh, so you've been hearing the word immortal and didn't bother to ask what that means, huh?"
Rin scratched her head nervously. "I mean… yeah? I thought maybe a hundred years old? That's not too bad."
Everyone shook their heads.
"…Two hundred?" Rin tried again.
No response—just more shaking heads.
"Okay, don't tell me—five hundred?" Rin said weakly.
"Way more than that," the Queen said, clearly enjoying this.
Rin's voice cracked. "W-way more?! Then how old is she?"
Akari rested her chin on her hands, smiling. "Selene is older than the moon."
Rin blinked. "Older than the… moon? How old is the moon here?!"
"The Moon is said to be older than Kaida itself," Rei replied. "Kaida is about two thousand years old, and the Moon around five thousand. But no one knows Selene's exact age. She doesn't tell anyone. You're the reason she even shows up in public these days. Even when she chose me as her bride, I didn't get to see her until the engagement ceremony—and again at the wedding."
Rin stared at her, twitching slightly, trying to process the information.
Selene Kurosuki. The villainess. The woman she'd kissed—a lot. The one who bathed her. Who called her ugly. Older than the moon.
"Oh… my… god…" Rin muttered, eyes wide. "How many times has she even gotten married?!"
The Queen chuckled behind her hand, clearly entertained. "Oh, you sweet little morsel… you might not want to know that answer."